New York Knicks adds age, so Celtics are ‘kids’

Sunday

Oct 14, 2012 at 6:00 AMOct 14, 2012 at 2:19 PM

Boston coach Doc Rivers was glad to see that the Knicks signed Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby and ex-Celtic Rasheed Wallace. “They’ve surpassed us as being the oldest team,” Rivers said. “That was a nice move. We enjoy that, being called the New Kids on the Block, the young kids.”

By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Boston coach Doc Rivers was glad to see that the Knicks signed Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby and ex-Celtic Rasheed Wallace.

“They’ve surpassed us as being the oldest team,” Rivers said. “That was a nice move. We enjoy that, being called the New Kids on the Block, the young kids.”

Kidd is 39, Camby and Wallace are both 38. Camby has a strained left calf and Wallace is trying to get in shape, so neither was with the Knicks last night when they played the Celtics in a preseason game at the XL Center. Kidd came off the bench.

Amar’e Stoudemire didn’t play for New York because of a bruised left knee, so 40-year-old Kurt Thomas started.

The Celtics still can’t be considered young, even though 37-year-old Ray Allen left to sign with Miami. Allen’s replacement, Jason Terry, is 35, Kevin Garnett is 36, and Paul Pierce turned 35 yesterday. The Celtics’ rookies sang “Happy Birthday” to Pierce and Rivers, who turned 51 yesterday.

Last night, rookie Jared Sullinger had 14 points, and Pierce and Jeff Green added 12 each for Boston in a 98-95 overtime loss. Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points for New York.

“I think Jason Terry or somebody must have told them about it,” Rivers said. “So right when Paul and I walked out, they started singing. It was nice.”

The Celtics are trying to win their sixth consecutive Atlantic Division championship, but Rivers expects the Knicks and the rest of the Atlantic Division to give them more of a battle.

“I think it’s a deep division,” Rivers said. “I think, honestly, New York is one of them. I think Philly is improved. When you add a (Andrew) Bynum to your team, you’re a better basketball team. … Brooklyn has improved. So it’s going to be a hard division. We preferred it the way it was two or three years ago. Now, you’ve got to fight to win this division.”

Brandon Bass returned to the starting lineup last night after Sullinger replaced him Sunday in Milan. Terry started in the backcourt for the second consecutive game alongside Rajon Rondo. Courtney Lee started the preseason opener.

Rivers said his priority was to use the preseason to prepare the core group, which he named as Garnett, Pierce, Terry, Lee, Rondo, Bass and Sullinger. He must have forgotten to mention Green, whose dunk last night became a YouTube hit before the end of the game.

“Everybody else, we’re going to try to give them a fair shake,” Rivers said. “We’re going to look at them in practices, we’re going to watch them in some games, but at the end of the day, we’re trying to get ready for the season.”

Avery Bradley (shoulders) and Chris Wilcox (back) weren’t available last night, but 16 Celtics were. Rivers said the Celtics have so many players, some of them aren’t taking part enough in practice, but he wanted extra personnel because last night was the first of six preseason games the Celtics will play in nine days. When this stretch is over, the Celtics will make some cuts.

Rivers said he loved having so many preseason games in so few days, then having eight days without any preseason games before the regular-season opener Oct. 30 at Miami.

Rivers believes he knows how many minutes to play Garnett and Pierce, but he admits he doesn’t know Terry well enough yet to determine how much to play him without wearing him out.

The Celtics feel better about their big men than they have in a while. So it’s appropriate that their extra large contingent made their American preseason debut at the XL Center.

Wallace is trying to come back with New York after he retired as a Celtic in 2010. Rivers didn’t think he should have ever stopped playing.

“His issue was that he needed to get in better condition,” Rivers said. “Even with us, he needed to get in better condition. He’s too skilled. I don’t know now. He’s been out two years, but I thought he was too skilled to retire at the point he retired.”

If Wallace does make it back to the NBA, Rivers doesn’t expect him to be any calmer.

“He’s going to be Rasheed,” Rivers said. “I’ve got a feeling the Knicks will have a spike in technicals this year.”